Al Qaeda’s branch in Mali, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, is the culmination of three jihadist militant groups in West Africa that became one in 2017. The three groups that created this merger were Ansar Dine, Al Murabitoon, and Katibat Macina. JNIM has taken hostages from Western countries and repeatedly attacked peacekeeping forces in Mali. JNIM carried out the June 2017 attack at a resort frequented by Westerners outside of Bamako, Mali; several deadly attacks on Malian troops; and the large-scale coordinated attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on March 2, 2018. JNIM is led by Iyad Ag Ghali (Iyad Ag Ghaley), a U.S.-designated SDGT. (Read more on State.gov)